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February 2010
Toshimasa Yamazaki is Chief Engineer of Product Evaluation Center at Panasonic Corporation and Chief Councilor of the Japan Technical Communicators Association (JTCA).
By Toshimasa Yamazaki
Keys to producing user-friendly manuals for the Japanese market
In today’s Japanese market, winning the customer’s trust in one’s company and products requires placing ever more attention to after-sales service. For instance, the corporate image is often determined by the quality and reliability of the after-sales service when problems occur after buying a product. With a wide variety of products to choose from, helpful and comprehensive operation manuals are particularly important as an aspect of after-sales service. This article highlights points that should be considered when producing printed operation manuals for the Japanese market. In addition, it provides concrete examples to illustrate these points.
The proper form of manuals for home appliances
In Japan, instruction manuals are defined as "an important means of conveying procedures for the correct, safe use of products to consumers, including information required to use products properly, to maintain them correctly, and to secure user safety" (From the "Handbook for preventing accidents resulting from misuse of consumer products" published by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation).
Instructions for using products commonly include combinations of embedded information, electronic manuals (CDs or HTML files) and printed manuals (books). The following elements are essential components of every instruction manual:
(1) Information required for consumer protection under the Product Liability Act
Under the law, this is referred to as warning notices. Inclusion of such warning notices in manuals is mandatory, and in Japan, the various industrial associations each have their own guidelines for presenting safety notices.
(2) Information that users must understand before using the product
This includes information such as basic use, connection, and settings.
(3) Basic procedures for use
This includes specific explanations for using the product, including explanations aimed at developing familiarity with basic product operation.
(4) An explanation of how information regarding operation is organized
When information regarding operation is spread between printed documents and various electronic manuals, the consumer must be provided with instructions for locating the specific information needed.
(5) Troubleshooting
This includes information about how to deal with problems that occur when troubleshooting systems built into the product do not work. Examples include problems encountered during installation, or problems that occur while setting up the product for use. It also includes information about warranty and after-sales service.
From this perspective, the instruction manual’s role as a bridge between consumer and product is more important than ever. Next, I will discuss considerations that must be observed with respect to regulations, warning notices, forms of written expression, and visual representations when producing instruction manuals.
Laws and regulations regarding general representation of information
In order to prevent serious consumer-involved accidents and anticipate problems that occur while using products, laws regarding safety and cautionary notices have been strengthened recently under the guidance of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. In particular, the various industrial associations have assumed a central role in addressing the approximately one-third of product-related accidents that result from incorrect use. For household electrical appliances, companies include warnings in manuals in accordance with the "Guidelines for the display of consumer product safety information" (latest version: 4th edition, March 2009) published by the Association for Electric Home Appliances.
The National Institute of Technology and Evaluation has also issued a "Handbook for the Prevention of Accidents Arising from Improper Use or Human Error” which sets forth considerations that must be understood and concrete measures that must be taken by businesses to prevent improper use of products.
Table 1 lists Japanese regulations related to the typical presentation of information, as of March, 2009.
| Legal name | Notes |
| Electrical Appliances and Material Safety Act | Commonly called “Den-An-Ho” |
| Consumer Products Safety Act | Commonly called “Sho-An-Ho” |
| Household Goods Quality Labeling Act | Commonly called “Hin-Hyo-Ho” |
| Product Liability Act | Commonly called “PL-Ho” |
| Act on Prohibition of Private Monopolization and Maintanance of Fair Trade | Commonly called “Dokusen-Kinshi-Ho” or “Dokkin-Ho” |
| Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations | Commonly called “Keihin-Hyouji-Ho” or “Keihyo-Ho” “Code of Fair Competition for Information Display of Home Appliances” is enacted under this law. |
| Consumer Contract Act |
|
| Industrial Standardization Act | JIS S O101：2000 Warning Graphic Symbols for Consumers JIS S Ol02：2000 Warning Graphic Symbols for Consumers: Procedure for Examination JIS S 0103:2002 Graphic Symbols for Consumers JIS Z 0152：1996 Warning Graphic Symbols for Packages Other standards for various products |
| Measurement Act |
|
| Pharmaceutical Affairs Act |
|
| Electricity Business Act | Technical standards for electric equipments |
| Electric Work Specialist Act |
|
| Radio Act |
|
| Act for Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances | Commonly called “Kaden-Recycle-Ho” |
| Act on the Rational Use of Energy | Commonly called “Sho-Ene-Ho” |
| Act for Promotion of Use of Recycled Resources | Commonly called “Kaisei-Recycle-Ho” |
| Act on the Promotion of Sorted Garbage Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging (Containers/Packaging Recycling Act) | Commonly called “Yoki-Hoso-Recycle- Ho” |
| Act on the Protection of Personal Information | Commonly called “Kojin-Joho-Hogo-Ho” |
| Gas Business Act |
|
| Act Concerning the Securing of Safety and the Optimization of Transaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas |
|
| High Pressure Gas Safety Act |
|
| Water Supply Act |
|
| Food Sanitation Act |
|
| Fire Service Act | Fire protection ordinance |
| Building Standards Act |
|
| Industrial Safety and Health Act | GHS UN recommendations |
| Consumer Basic Act |
|
| Unfair Competition Prevention Act |
|
| Copyright Act |
|
| Consumer protection ordinance of government-designated cities |
|
| Consumer protection ordinance of local public authorities |
|
Table 1 - Laws and regulations regarding general representation of information
A wide variety of regulations exist pertaining to the representation of information concerning household appliances. The list below shows those laws that are central to this topic.
Warnings
Product safety requires that the manufacturer proactively (1) establishes safety levels, (2) avoids and excludes foreseeable risks, (3) provides warning notices, and (4) provides safety evaluation and record keeping throughout the product life cycle, from product planning through recycling.
Figure 1 shows the "Improper Use Triangle," a conceptual diagram of the safety of household appliances. Manufacturers of household appliances are obliged to “clearly and correctly inform consumers regarding use of products, including foreseeable misuse of products, as necessary to prevent harm or damage to property or injury to users.”
- Fig. 1: Safety Diagram (“Improper Use Triangle”)
Figure 2 outlines the procedures and considerations to be observed during risk assessment, which is the first step to be taken when building concrete measures to prevent accidents resulting from incorrect use.
- Fig. 2: Considerations related to warning notices
Figure 3 shows a basic example of a warning notice to be included in manuals.
- Fig. 3: Basic example of a warning notice
Forms of expression
Under the scope of the Act Against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, the Fair Competition Code Regarding Representation of Household Appliances sets forth requirements governing representation about transactions involving home appliances in Japan, that are intended to help consumers make proper choices in product selection, prevent improper inducements to purchase products, and preserve fair competition.
This code sets forth restrictions on representations in manuals and warranties included with products, as well as on advertising content, such as catalogs and TV commercials produced by manufacturers. Following are some excerpts from the code, which must be followed with regard to the form of textual representations.
Standards for use of specific terms (Article 10 of Code)
- Use of claims of permanence is not allowed.
Example terms: Everlasting, permanent, forever, indefinite, and infinite - Use of assertive claims of completeness is not allowed.
Example terms: Complete, perfect, all-mighty, universal, and 100% - Over-emphasis of terms relating to safety is not allowed.
Example terms: Safety, security, and safe - Specific grounds rooted in objective facts must be indicated when making claims related to rank or superiority.
Example terms: Highest, maximum, lowest, minimum, lightest, newest, best, excellent, ultimate, innovative, world’s best, best in Japan, number one, super, ultra, unique, “only our”, world’s first, Japan’s first, fastest - Usage standards for other terms
Example terms: Power-saving, eco-friendly, decontaminating, anti-microbial, quiet, healthy, deodorizing, and recycling.
When using terms like those shown in the examples, usage must be validated under this Code.
Prohibition of misrepresentation (Article 4 of Code)
No representation may be made that might mislead the consumer with regard to quality or specifications, price, or conditions of sale, or with regard to advantage or superiority over competitors.
Example of possibly misleading representation:
- Missing or vague representation of important considerations (such as regarding quality, performance, or conditions of sale)
- Representations regarding accessories that are sold separately, warranties, country of manufacture, or time of manufacture
- Comparative representations, or representations of values or certifications, power consumption, or power cost; or slanderous or defamatory representations
In addition, consumer confusion must be avoided by adhering to the following guidelines regarding Japanese usage, usage of Japanese characters, and terminology. Instructions for general consumer products such as appliances must be written using ordinary words. There is a tendency to phoneticize foreign words (such as katakana) when dealing with difficult terms. Care must always be taken to select terminology that is suitable to the target reader. Care must also be taken to use terminology in a consistent manner. Consumers at the beginner level are particularly likely to experience confusion if multiple terms are used to indicate the same concept.
Effectiveness of visual representations
Because Japanese consumers are particularly receptive to the use of illustrations, photographs, and figures such as charts as a means of lending clarity to explanations, manufacturers devote much effort to using visuals in an effective manner.
This is of great importance, and it is not sufficient for a manual to simply convey information accurately; rather, the manual must reach out to the user in order to fulfill its function of “accurately conveying information in an easy-to-understand form.” Visual representations facilitate this by drawing on the following psychological effects:
- Provoking a desire to read (see) what’s in the manual
- Guiding the user’s attention to particular points
- Preventing reader boredom by introducing an element of change and vibrancy that cannot be achieved through text alone
- Utilizing page space to create an atmosphere suited to the target reader
- Providing a break from the monotony of verbal explanations
- Making a stronger, more lasting impression than can be achieved with verbal explanations
As specific examples, Figures 4 and 5 show comparative examples of visual representation in instructions for a cooking appliance (an IH cooking heater).
- Fig. 4: Unimproved example of notices page
- Fig. 5: Improved example of notices page
Figure 5 illustrates how representation can be improved for a notices page; similarly, the following practices regarding use of visual representations in covers, tables of contents, instructions for use, and descriptions of component names are regarded as important in producing manuals that are easily understood by consumers:
- Avoid including unnecessary information
Since the enactment of product liability laws, there is a tendency to include an extensive list of “safety precautions” at the beginning of manuals. However, long passages of text are difficult to understand, and can actually work to the detriment of safety. From the user’s perspective, it is better to provide information on hazards that have a very low likelihood of occurrence in a compressed form. - Let illustrations and photographs do the explaining
For example, if an illustration showing a fish being placed in a fish roaster is included, explaining that "The fish roaster is for grilling fish" is redundant. Since text in manuals tends to increase with extended product functionality, illustrations and photographs are an effective means of limiting text. - Be aware of the utility of double-page spreads
Design double-page spreads so that all necessary information is included within the confines of the facing pages. Pay attention to the placement of the illustrations and text, so that the user can grasp what’s being conveyed at a glance. Consider the objective of the spread, and omit elements that are not relevant to the spread’s purpose. - Create a style guide, and observe its conventions when writing the manual
(1) Limit each sentence to a single topic. Complex sentences are more difficult to understand.
(2) Limit sentences to three lines. Make sentences as short as possible; use multiple short sentences.
(3) Do not use double negatives. - Make the manual fun to read
Remember that the manual is of value only if it is useful to the user. Therefore, use beautiful photos and/or illustrations extensively, and strive to make the manual fun. Pay attention to text density, and do not allow it to become too long.
What do consumers expect of manuals?
The following are the top ten printed manual improvements expected by consumers, ranked in order of priority:
- Larger text size
- More concise explanations
- More use of illustrations and photographs
- Avoidance of specialized vocabulary
- Thinner manuals
- Elderly-friendly manuals
- Beginner-friendly manuals
- Division of main functions into a separate manual section
- Less use of phoneticized foreign words (such as katakana)
- Easy to use indexes
Source: “Consumer” magazine, published monthly by the Japan Consumers Association (May, 2009).
These improvement points can be regarded as the key issues in producing printed manuals for the Japanese market. “Greater noticeability of safety information” ranked 16th among consumers, but from the manufacturers’ perspective, such information is of great importance.
From the survey, achieving consumer satisfaction in manuals produced for multifunction products requires "concise clarity," "writing in plain language," "making safety information more prominent," "extensive use of graphics," and “greater attention to storability."
The seven traits of good printed manuals
A good printed manual must meet the following seven conditions. These conditions are excerpted from the evaluation standards used for judging in the Japan manuals contest sponsored by the Japan Technical Communicators Association Foundation, in which manuals are judged for composition, writing quality, and design.
- Understandability
- Accuracy
- Attractiveness
- Searchability
- Ease of use
- Usefulness
- Consideration for consumer protection
These conditions should be used as a checklist when producing consumer instruction manuals for the Japanese market.
Reference information
The following are examples of three defects encountered in sub-standard printed manuals (from results of the Japan manuals contest):
(1) Content not suited to consumer needs
- Essential information missing, or irrelevant information included
- Structure too complicated, or inconsistent informational hierarchies
- Too much information, resulting in manuals that are too voluminous
(2) Text hard to understand
- Poor use of Japanese
- Excessive use of difficult technical terms
- Inconsistent use of Japanese characters or vocabulary
(3) Unattractive design
- Relevant points not easy to understand
- High text density, small characters
- Boring, pedantic style